sorry to open another post on this subject bnut i have to be sure!

i have just carved out 2 polystyrene backgrounds out of two inch thick sheets , i have been researching what to paint it with as lfs is not willing to divulge this information, i am possibly going to consult the chemist who came up with resene paints formulations(i have no idea wat paint is made from , do U?) before i do taht would ordinary acrylic paint covered with an expoxy resin be safe? if anebody knows or has ane other ideas let me know please,

If you go the expoxy resin route I think find the right sand of the right colour and apply when the resin is wet will give you the look you are after, just give the resin a couple of days to cure and your away.

Paint with resin over will finish to shiny and unatural. Post some picks when done.

What I have done is applied epoxy resin to the poly 3 coats approx, then painted with marine paint Start with a dark colour and dry brush a lighter colour over the top, sexy Background Done

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh29 ... ank003.jpg

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh29 ... ank002.jpg

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh29 ... ank001.jpg

The finished product

sexy as hell lol what is going in there? may i borrow the idea and attempt to create one for my newt? can you name all products you used? also how did it hold up in water?

Looking good Simian. How about sending me a step by step on how you did it, complete with pics

Looking good Simian. How about sending me a step by step on how you did it, complete with pics

Better yet, just post a how-to with pics for us all. Caryl should get no special treatment!

Ah but I then publish it in our magazine - I don't keep it for myself. A lot of fishkeepers do not (believe it or not) have internet access so do not have the opportunity to see it here.

caryl is the magazine avalible nation wide was wondering were i can get a copy also how often does it come out

It is a quarterly, full colour, 40 page, A5 size magazine published Feb, May, Aug and Nov. It is posted out free to all FNZAS members or available by subscription ($22 for 12 months).

i have painted the tree root 1 i carved , im going my own route as far as methods go(keep the gud ideas coming tho in case my way doesnt work), i found painting it hard work so a dded a small amount of wetasil (wetting agent 4 plants and sprays , non-toxic.) i found this help let the paint run into the small gaps between the polystyrene, i am actually amazed taht it is turning out so gud so quickly. i will expoxy clearcoat it after painting (am going to investigate this 2moro) as 4 it turning out shiny and fake looking i will c how it goes , if it does i will try fine wet and dry to rough it up a lil, or failing that i can get free clear bottle gl;ass crushed to a dust and sprinkle that on the wet epoxy

What I have done is applied epoxy resin to the poly 3 coats approx, then painted with marine paint Start with a dark colour and dry brush a lighter colour over the top, sexy Background Done

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh29 ... ank003.jpg

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh29 ... ank002.jpg

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh29 ... ank001.jpg

The finished product

marine paint isnt that normally solvent based and not acrylic? i rung epiglass techinical services during my research and asked about marine paint they said not to use their paint unless i wanted chips with my fish

Gee I hope so, my supplier was pretty sure it was fine, but Im getting him to contact the chemist from the manufacturer, the suff I used was a 1 pack polyurethane, and I was damm sure it was sweet stand by you have got me doubting myself now :oops:

As for detailed photos, I didn't do any progress photos sorry but it was pretty simple... I cant see myself making a million from the process so I'll have to settle for fame instead 8)

I could do a how to for you Caryl, lets make sure I'm not poisoning my fish first

polyeurethane hmm? i made a wooden hood and polyuerthaned it i had it on my old goldfish tank, the wood was untreated otherwise. condensation collecting and dripping back into the tank ended up poisening most of the fish this is theclear poly mind u, i also looked into swimming pool paint with is normally a vinyl (or epoxy) as i used this to paint the brine tanks at talleys fisheries(used to freeze tuna) so im assuming its food safe(maybe aquarium safe) but then who knows with talleys track record

here is some pics ane way so far

Cool, keep em coming,

suggest you contact Rob or Kerry at the national aquarium in Napier,they have done alot of this sort of thing over the years.

ok cool , i have spoken to 2 people who used to build them down here in chch but are not willing to tell me what they used 1 said experiment with epoxy

Well my supplier has egg on his face, the manufacturer of the paint says NO but it may just be a ass covering thing, Im clear coating with epoxy and am going to trial the paint with some sacrificial fish I was going to cull, stand by for update

Spoon wrote about poisoning his fish because the condensation went back into the tank, that doesn't surprise me much. Paint has a stabiliser in it to stop all the ingredients from seperating. This comes to the surface as the paint dries. Whenever you paint something for use in or above the aquarium you should ALWAYS rinse it off thoroughly before putting it to use. Warning If you rinse too early, before the paint has fully cured (read instructions on can) you could have to start all over again as the water can affect the drying process of the paint.

P.S. drying and curing are two seperate time frames

Correct, and use hot soapy water (it has waxes and oils in it too that will need to be broken down so they can be washed away), just rinse well.

cheers 4 the hints im goin to buy equius epistixx clear as the company rep thort this would be suityable after doin some research said it may turn yellow but that wont bother me as its over dark paint will double coat and sand back with wet and dry to kill the gloss.

i rung norski they said their 421 epoxy would be ok but didnt know how this would go over acylic paint or vice versa, equis said will go on fine over acylic but acylic paint on top would be hard to key in so it sticks (again wet and dry mite remedy this)

i will soak it in a bucket of water 4 a week once its cured and wash it thourghly b4 siliconing it in im in no hurry because i have microscopic minnow babies in the tank i want to put the first 1 in, i will post a pic of the project now i have completed painting it with acrilic in next few days

lol go the minnows

background looks good carnt wait to see how it turns out

yeah they great i have bout 50 more babies about 3-4mm long

cool!

have a look at the TT forum about next meeting its this weekend

:bounce: Well My 5' is up and running complete with new background, a clear coat of epoxy did the trick as my fish are ALIVE! :bounce:

Wife has camera so will post pics of completed setup as soon as I can wrestle it off her.

I found the yellow of the epoxy top coat actually enhanced the look in the end, and I dry ragged the last coat when it was still just tacky. that killed the sheen nicely.